U.S. military active duty retirees: Valuable assets
By George S. Kulas
web posted June 7, 2004
In his speech to a joint session of congress on April 19, 1951
General Douglas MacArthur echoed that unforgettable refrain
from an old barracks ballad, "Old soldiers never die; they just
fade away." Today with the manpower shortages the U.S.
military is facing because of extended deployments in
Afghanistan and Iraq it could use some "old soldiers."
While some in congress are talking about renewing a draft of
non-volunteers there is a very large pool of qualified patriotic
volunteers who are denied the opportunity to continue serving
their country.
These volunteers are highly skilled, trained, motivated and
proven service members who could contribute substantially to
the military's combat readiness as members of the ready
reserves. These service members, U.S. military active duty
retirees, spent 20 or more years full-time in the active Army,
Navy, Marines and Air Force. They knew their jobs well. Most
of them were in leadership positions. Many trained junior service
members during their careers. Many are combat veterans.
There are currently over 1.5 million active duty military retirees
(half under age 60). This is more than the entire active duty force
today. Most active duty military retirees are in their early forties
upon retirement. Many of these retirees are prepared and willing
to continue serving in the military on a part-time basis as
members of the ready reserve. Ready reserve military personnel
attend paid weekend drills and at least two weeks of active duty
for training each year. They are the most likely to be called to
active duty during a war or national emergency. Qualified
members can serve until they are 60 years old.
Unfortunately, under current law, Title 10 of the U.S. Code,
active duty military retirees are not allowed to join a ready
reserve unit unless the Secretary of the service "makes a special
finding that the member's services in the ready reserve are
indispensable." Additionally, according to Title 10 of the U.S.
Code, a service member cannot receive both retired pay and
reserve pay concurrently. Should a retiree be allowed to
participate in the ready reserve under the provisions of the
statute, he or she will either have to decline reserve pay or forfeit
retired pay for the number of days duty is performed.
Ironically the same Title 10 of the US. Code that virtually bars
active duty military retirees from being in the ready reserve states
in Chapter 39, Section 688, that a military retiree can be ordered
back to active duty at any time. In fact, the Army's Policies and
Procedures for Preassigning and Recalling Retired Army
Personnel During a War or National Emergency" states that
retirees under age 60 are subject to be recalled to active duty
within seven days of being notified. These retirees, if fully
qualified, can be assigned to deploying units that will fight the
war. A retiree who fails to comply with the orders may be
considered Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and could be
subject to disciplinary action by the military, including suspension
of retired pay.
On one hand retirees are told by the military that they are subject
to being called back to active duty and possibly deployed. On
the other hand the law bars retirees from joining a ready reserve
unit to continue training in order to maintain proficiency in basic
military skills and their military occupational specialty so they are
prepared in the event of being called back.
Many retirees were senior members of the military and if called
back they may be required to lead and or manage in areas that
have undergone major technological changes since they retired
from active duty. If they are unfamiliar with current methods
and/or doctrine it could cause much more harm than good. This
is a major reason more retirees aren't called back.
It would make sense to keep otherwise qualified retirees that
could be called back trained to current standards. This can be
done through their participation in the reserve components
thereby adding a substantial amount of qualified personnel
available to the military.
The law which says military retirees cannot serve in ready
reserve units needs to be changed to allow those volunteers who
are qualified the opportunity to join units where the military
stipulates they are needed. If congress is serious about having the
best quality military with limited manpower they should give the
military flexibility in tapping personnel resources.
There are a lot of "old soldiers" who are willing and able to
continue serving in the military. But until the law of the land is
changed these "old soldiers" will continue to just "fade away."
George S. Kulas served as a Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army
before he retired.
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